Feudalism
Feudal society in Eurale is organized a particular way, according to the traditional, historical method, originally used by Thance. After the collapse of the Thance empire, the system was, more or less, adopted by the various countries that sprouted up as a result, though there are a few major exceptions, and the extent of the system's use outside of Eurale is not known. Nobility The nobility is organized into a pyramid-hierarchy structure, with those higher in the tower strictly more powerful than those below them. Reagency and nobility is typically claimed by bloodline to existing noble houses. However, the most important bloodline to share is that of the Royal Family of Thance, whose ancient bloodline is shared by all of the Kings and Queens of Eurale, currently, as well as many of the major nobles. Many resources are put forth by aspiring nobles into finding (or creating) a family link from themselves to this ancient house, thereby propelling themselves forward in standing. Noble title uses a system of inheritance that is not male-favouring, but it is youth-favouring. Title will fall to the previous holder's children, even if they also had able, legitimate siblings. Title can never fall to bastard children. When married, an individual retains their own title, or gains that of their spouse, whichever is higher. The only exception of this is the spouse of the Monarch (see below). If a title holder passes away, leaving no family to inherit his or her title, then the ranking official above them presides over a hearing in which numerous individuals submit their cases to inherit the title. Nobility are subject to High Law rather than Common Law when it comes to matters of the judiciary system. The only nation that does not use heridary rule and nobility is Fornax, which is a Kingdom only in name. Noble Titles *King/Queen: The supreme ruler of the nation, and usually with the strongest bloodline claim to the Royal Family of Thance in the Kingdom. It is typically difficult to make a claim of such heritage to overrule the current Monarch, but it is not totally unheard of and not always unsuccessful. The King or Queen is always annoited by the Order of the Chalice as a matter of tradition. The King or Queen is the individual who has inherited the title of Monarch; their spouse is referred to as a Prince or Princess. The Monarch is the Nation, and all of the land there ultimately belongs to him. There are almost no exceptions to this. Legally, all individuals are able to live and preside in a Kingdom solely by the grace of their Monarch (though it is obviously in the Monarch's best interest to allow most individuals to do so). The Monarch is said to embody the law, and as such is above even High Law, though this does not necessarily extend to his or her spouse and children. The Monarch is accountable only to political games. *Prince/Princess: A royal title just below King or Queen. The title is gained by the spouse of the Monarch, and it is also given to any of their children. The Monarch cannot legally marry anyone who is not already of noble title, and thus such a person would not gain the title of Prince or Princess, and neither would their children. This rule is retroactive, nullifying any such existing marriage if a married individual ascends to the throne. This is conveninet for the new Monarch, but is typically not without political consequences if made public. *Archduke/Archduchess: The highest of the noble titles, where it is used. It is relatively rare position to hold. There are two titles of Archduke in Taberland (one for high Taberland, one for low Taberland), one in Nisos (presiding over the Isle of Fey), and three in Elythria (one for each of the major provinces). These titles are typically traditional holdings, and very static, used to describe positions of historical prominence. All of these titles were created at the original conception of their respective countries, and there has not been any new appointments since then. While this title is higher than other titles of noble rank, Archdukes and Archduchesses typically do not have other nobles under their command. In this sense, the title is highly anomolous and nearly as static as that of the Monarch. The six titles of Archduke are vestiges from the days of Thrace, and are held by the same noble families that held them then. Their title over their land is seen as greater than that other nobles hold, and as such, unlike other nobles, they are not required to pay tribute to the Monarch, and enjoy greater privelege under the law, though they must still answer any call to arms the Monarch may issue. This is one exception to the presumed rule that a Monarch has supreme title over all of his land (the only other exception being the Temple of the Osprey). It has been suggested in many noble courts that Avalon ought to be ruled by an Archduke not answerable to any particular Monarch (currently it is managed by a non-noble steward; a bureaucrat). *Grand Duke/Grand Duchess: The highest usual rank among the nobility. A Grand Duke or Duchess usually has land and holdings far beyond the typical noble, with wealth rivalling even the private wealth of the Monarch. Grand Dukes typically control a large province or sprawling, major metropolitan area. The title of Grand Duke or Duchess is not a static one. An existing Duke or Duchess who has expanded in power significantly (either by expanding their holdings, through marriage, through proof of stronger blood ties to the Royal Family of Thance, or other, less legal methods) is often granted the title of Grand Duke/Duchess. Likewise, this title can be stripped away if the individual in question declines in power. However, it is very rare for either of these events to occur, and though the title is not totally static like that of a King or Archduke, it is still very difficult to gain or lose by any method other than pure inheritance. *Duke/Duchess: Still a very strong rank among the nobility, a Duke or Duchess usually possesses lordship over a small province, or a large city with surrounding farmland. This title is more fluid than the ones above it, but can still take several generations to change. *Baron/Baroness: One of the lower ranks of nobility, they have fewer legal priveleges than nobles of higher rank. The major difference being that a Baron or Baroness does not possess the right of seigniorage, and must in stead use royally-issued currency. Archdukes, Grand Dukes, Dukes, and their female counterparts all possess the right to coin their own gold for the settlement of debt, and any such coins are considered legal tender. They gain seigniorage by this since the value of a gold coin is always greater in value than an equal amount of uncoined gold. Barons typically hold lordship over a small city and the surrounding farmland. This is an important thing to note, as, typically, if one holds lordship over a whole province, they are usually at least a Duke. Barons and Baronets typically hold only a single municipality. *Baronet/Baronetess: Like the Baron, the Baronet and Baronetess do not posses the right of seigniorage. They also have the fewest legal priveleges under High Law, and are the least prominent group that is ruled by it, as well as the lowest rank of the nobility. A Baronet typically holds lordship over a small town or hamlet, but never something so small as to be called a village. Typically, a Baronet must demonstrate an ability to raise a guard and secure his land to at the very least retain his title. A small village will not have a dedicated noble, but will in stead fall under the domain of a higher-ranking noble with a larger holding, such as a Duke. Unlike other nobles, the Baronet is not seen as having significant resources and as such is not expected to make singificant contributions to any call to arms the Monarch may make, beyond a personal appearance and perhaps a small, personal entourage. This is not true of any other noble title, who are expected to make military contributions in league with their perceived wealth and standing. Deviations from this can help propel a noble upward or downward in title. Fornax Fornax does not use any of the above noble titles. In stead, they hold title based on a Meritocracy system, though the basic pyramid structure of Feudalism still remains. Merely the method of distribution of rule is changed. See Fornax and the Rule of Will for more information. Aratoy The clan societies of Aratoy lie outside the typical rule of the feudal system. While they have some measure of unspoken loyalty to the Monarch, they do not pay taxes, and their lands do not fall under the jurisdiction of any noble. See the Aratoy page for more information. Non-Humans All of these titles apply to humans. In all of the Seven Kingdoms, non-humans cannot hold title, collect taxes, or claim seigniorage. This is meant to apply to Elves and Dwarves; the idea of an Ahoul even living in the Seven Kingdoms is considered unthinkable. Typically, non-humans living in the Seven Kingdoms tend to keep to themselves, dwelling in regions not under the jurisdiction of any noble. These areas are increasingly rare, however, and this arrangement often leads to conflict. Both the Elves and the Dwarves have their own systems of governance. However, since dwelling in the jurisdictions of the nobles or conducting commerce there subjects them to human law, both groups have become highly isolationist. These laws were less severe in the time of Thance and as such all three societies were much more open. The Order of the Chalice Members of the Order of the Chalice hold special rank when it comes to matters of law, but this is highly variant on the country in question, and the rank of the member. In all of the Seven Kingdoms, Order Initiaties and common Monks are held under Common Law unless they have title by some other method. All of the Kingdoms, except Oriam, hold the Archfriar above the law, much like the Monarch. Oriam holds him under High Law, though he rarely visits Oriam, so the point is highly moot. All of the Kingdoms hold the Grand Friars under High Law, except for Oriam which hold them under Common Law, and Fornax which prohibits the presence of Grand Friars. Only Taberland and Cathea hold regular Friars under High Law. All other nations hold them under Common Law. Many of these countries also have particular laws that assist or prohibit the Order and other religious organization within their borders. See the individual Kingdom pages for more information. Tradespersons The vast majority of the peasantry must rent their land from the nobility in order to produce agricultural goods. As such, they are required to pay taxes to make use of the land, which gave rise to the feudal system. Tradespersons, however, do not require significant measures of land in order to conduct their business. As such, they are not taxed except for a small property taxed levvied on their homes and places of busines (which they typically own, and do not rent). Tradespersons are not nobles, and as such are held under Common Law, though they tend to command more respect than peasants. The only exception to this is Taberland, where trade skill is highly prized, and as a result tradespersons there have special rights and privileges. This has resulted in significant migration of tradespersons into Taberland from neighbouring Kingdoms.